Air-valve for radiators.



E. W. LEUTHESSER.

AIR VALVE FOR RADIATORS. APPLIOATIONIILBD MAY 19, 191 3.

Patentd Oct. 7, 1913.

1717/672707; Fred WLeaZiwspar y 6 UNITED %TATE% PATENT @FFIQE.

FRED W. LEUTHESSER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AIR-VALVE FOR RADIATORS.

ovaaea.

Application filed May 19, 1913.

To all whom 2'15 may concern Be it known that I, FRED W. LEUTHES- SER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Valves for Radiators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a special form and style of tube used for the purpose of draining off the water of condensation from the interior of the valve casing, and relates more particularly to that form of drain tube which is termed a siphon drain.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a drain which will have a spring fork end for the purpose of maintaining it in position with respect to the valve casing, and which will be so configured at the forked end thereof as to provide a relatively unrestricted air space around said end permitting a free flow of air into the casing to displace the water of condensation drained off and thus permit the siphoning action to take place.

A further object of the invention is to provide this configuration in such a manner as not to reduce the area of the drain tube at any point whereby the flow therethrough would be restricted.

The invention further consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of an air valve equipped with the drain tube of the present invention; Fig. 2 a section on line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. 3 a. perspective of the drain tube.

In the art to which the present invention relates, so far as I am aware, only two methods of draining have been employed in connection with air valves. The first is what is known as the capillary attraction method, and the other is known as the siphon method.

Both forms of drain tubes the capillary type and the siphon type have long been in use and have proven under ordinary conditions, practical and successful, but under certain conditions as for instance, a. great influx of water into the casing causing the float to rise and close the air vent of the valve, or where the vent is closed by other causes so as to prevent the inflow of outside air into the casing, it has been found, par- Specification of Letters Patent.

Iatented Get. 4', 1913.

Serial No. 768,568.

ticularly with siphon drain tubes having a forked inner end, that the siphon action of drainage is efiectually stopped, by reason of a greater pressure on the discharge end of the drain tube than the pressure in the casing, thus sealing the tube against any outflow of .water of condensation. This condition of affairs would not occur, if air could be supplied to the interior of the cas ings as to equalize the pressure inside of the casing with the pressure at the discharge end of the drain tube, and it is for the purpose of equalizing the pressure and preventing any air sealing of the drain tube which would interfere with a perfect drainage action at all times, that the present invention has been designed, and this end is obtained by providing an air passage around the forked end of the drain tube which will permit of the inflow of air into the casing, and break the seal at the discharge end of the drain tube, allowing a free discharge of the water under a siphon act-ion even when the air vent of the valve is closed. In these spring fork drains, so far as I am aware, capillary attraction has been depended upon to drain the water when the air vent is closed, but this is a slow operation and is not as effective as a siphon drain would be, but'of course to get the siphoning afree passage for air must at all times be provided, and this has not been done, so far as I am aware, with a spring fork drain, until the present invention. Siphon drains have of course been used, but not of a spring fork nature. Therefore in the present invention the advantageous features of a siphon drain are combined with the advantageous features of a spring fork drain thus combining the advantages of both methods and eliminating their defects.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, the invention is illustrated in conjunction with a casing 41: of suitable style and size, which casing as illustrated has a threaded upper end or neck 5 upon which is screwed a sleeve 6 forming the outer upper neck or stem of the valve. A vent plug 7 is screwed into the neck 5 and leakage is prevented around said plug by means of a packing 8. A vent passage 9 opening to the outside air is formed. in the plug 7, and communication between the interior of the valve casing and this passage is controlled by a tapered pin 10 secured to the top of a float 11. The'fioat rests upon and is formed concentric with an eXpansible member 12 which in turn is held in position by a reinforcing stem 13. A base member 14 is attached to the lower end of the casing 4E, and the open lower end of the base member is closed by a threaded plug Life which is attached the stem 13, thus by removing this plug all of the members in the interior of the valve casing are removed therewith. An exteriorly threaded bored nipple 16 is formed with the base, which nipple is threaded into the radiator as usual.

All of the above described parts are Well known in the art, and no claim is made in the present application to any of these parts I it being understood that they may be varied at will without affecting the subject matter of the invention, which dealswith the for mationand arrangement of the drain tube.

The drain tube 17 comprises what may be termed a horizontalportion 18 and a vertical portion 19 and the tube is of closed formationbeing open only at its ends and is thus of the siphoning type. The spring fork is formed by splitting the end of the tube for a distance as indicated at 20, thus providing finger like members 21, which, as will be seen are spread apart to produce a forked end formation. It is understood that the material from which the tube is formed is of a resilient nature, so that the forked end is resilient and will spring in and out to e'flect a locking and unlocking of the tube with respect to the valve casing. The tube is flattened as at 22; that is its dimension at this point is reduced in one direction, and increased in the opposite di rection, whereby the same cross-sectional area is maintained throughout the tube, so that no restriction is placed therein which would tend to prevent the free passage of water therethrough. This flattening of the fork end of the tube is very important, for it is this that makes possible a spring fork drain which will operate at all times upon the siphon principle. 7

It is a well known law of physics that a siphoning action cannot be produced unless air is admitted to take the place of the water drained off. This in fact means that it is necessary to equalize the pressure on each end of the iphoning tube before the water can run, for if a higher pressure is present at the outlet end of the tube than at the inlet "end, it is obvious that this higher pressure will act as a valve or check and prevent the flow of water from the outlet end of the tube. In these spring fork drains, the method of construction in forming the fork end, is, in some manner to split and spread out the ends, this naturally enlarges the end, with the result that when it is inserted in position, and springs out to effect the locking action, it will to all practical purposes close the inner end of the bore through the nipple, and such space as is left between the V bore and the fork, will be of a relatively restricted nature and will not permit of air passing therethrough to effect the siphoning action if the vent is closed. In such a construction therefore, the siphoning principle cannot be employed at all times, for the reason that the necessary flow of air will not be allowed to enter the interior of the casing to displace the water, or in other words, to equalize the pressure on the inlet and outlet ends of the drain tube.

It is understood that in air valves, when water of condensation enters the casing it raises the float and the check valve carried thereby, cutting off communication between the outside air and the interior of the casing through the vent opening at the top of the casing. Under such conditions, if sufficient air is not admitted to the interior of the casing to equalize the pressure on the inlet and outlet ends of the drain tube, that is to displace the water drained ofi, a sort of vacuum will be created within the casing, and the pressure on the outlet end of the tube will be greater than the pressure on the inlet end, with the result that the tube will not drain, and the float will remain up, continuing to cut off communication with the outside air through the vent. This is, of course, undesirable, but would occur with an ordinary spring fork siphon drain where an abnormal rush of water to the interior of the valve casing takes place. In order to overcome this defect and inefficiency in a spring fork siphon drain I flatten the spring fork end of the drain in the manner shown and described, thus leaving a relatively unrestricted passage 23, best seen in Fig. 1, on each side of the spring fork, whereby a sufficient flow of air to the interior of the casing is allowed, to compensate for the water of condensation drained off from such interior, thus producing an equalization of pressure on the inlet and outlet ends of the drain tube, to permit the siphoning action.

In the present construction no change of any nature is needed in the construction of the valve casing, and the drain is inserted and withdrawn in the same manner as any spring fork drain is inserted or withdrawn, but by the particular configuration of the spring fork end I make it possible to use a siphon drain having a spring fork end, thus insuring a quick and eflicient draining of water under any and all conditions, and at the same time retaining the obvious advantages and benefits of a spring fork construction of drain.

I claim: 7

1. In an air valve for radiators, the combination of a casing, a float within the easing, an air vent in the upper end of the easing, a valve carried by the float and controlling said vent, an attaching axially bored nipple on the casing, a siphon drain tube split at its inner end and spread apart at this point to provide a spring fork adapted to engage the inner Wall of the casing at the point of juncture of the inner Wall of the nipple and the inner Wall of the casing and upon opposite sides of the bore through the nipple, said tube being flattened at its forked end to provide a relatively unrestricted air space around the forked end, substantially as described.

2. In an air valve for radiators, the com bination of a casing, a float Within the casing, an air vent in the upper end of the casing, a valve carried by the float and controlling said vent, an attaching axially bored nipple laterally extending from the casing,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the a siphon drain tube split at its inner end and spread apart at this point to provide a spring fork adapted to engage the inner Wall of the casing at the juncture of the inner Wall of the nipple and the inner Wall of the casing, said forked end being configured to have its cross sectional dimension decreased in one direction and increased in the opposite direction, whereby the same cross-sectional area is maintained throughout the tube and whereby a relatively unrestricted air space is provided about the forked end, substantially as described.

FRED W. LEUTHESSER. Witnesses:

WM. P. Bonn,

EPHRAIM BANNING.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0. 

